Climate Change & The Greenland Ice Sheet
The Greenland Ice Sheet, according to a new study from NASA and the European Space Agency, is rapidly melting as a result of the changing climate.
With rising atmospheric and ocean temperatures around the globe, glaciers, ice sheets, and frozen bodies of water are seeing a dramatic increase in melting rates. The direct consequence of this phenomena is a considerably hazardous rise in sea level. The study’s findings forecast an approximate 3 to 5 inches of global sea level rise by the year 2100. In the last 26 years, Greenland’s melting ice alone has added 120 million Olympic-size swimming pools to the ocean every year.
What seems like an insignificant couple of inches can be deceiving. Even a increase of 3 to 5 inches can relocate millions of people as a result of coastal flooding, storm surges, and high tides.
These statistics are warning signs, projections that could become reality if we don’t make a change in our societal habits. Working to reduce fossil fuel emissions, monitoring waste, and spreading awareness is a place to start. Get on it!
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